Which VMS Companies "Respect" The Channel?

Do you mean simply not competing with integrators directly by selling to end users / integrating themselves? Or do you mean also not even selling any licenses or appliances online?

For what it's worth, in my past as an integrator, Video Insight marketed to end users, and got themselves accepted as alternates in bids, etc., but they never sold direct here. Even on projects where we were involved in sales with another VMS, and they swooped in and sold the end user on VI, they were still giving the actual sale to an integrator. It's still shifty, especially considering we were a partner, but at least an integrator got the sale, I guess.

I think a lot of this will vary by region, though.

Genetec had the tightest channel around here. They would not open up any new dealers at all.

Avigilon is tight here, in that you need to be a dealer, but it also seemed like they had no issue setting up new dealers, despite one or two very active integrators already signed on in the market.

I remember buying Exacq licenses through distribution, without being any sort of dealer or having been trained.

Thanks for the elaboration on Video Insight. That makes me feel a little better about looking at them. Interested in any other comments anyone might have about any other products or the ones already mentioned.

We have found that Aimetis does a very good job of managing their sales channels and making sure their products are sold ony through authorized integrators. We are an Aimetis distributor so we have good visibility on this.

You know it when they recognize it is "your" client and not "theirs". Ask how many VMS's protect your interests, even minimally, instead of turning a blind eye/ear, or even encouraging/assisting growing their "partner" network off your hard earned client base. I'm talking about compromising your hard earned client base to the highest bidder. Sometimes even to a yet to be authorized partner. VMS's are not partners in any sense of the word, otherwise they would write fair and mutually beneficial agreements. Not one-sided agreements. There need to be three parts to these partnerships.

I have been told DVTEL has a tight channel.

DVTEL is an interesting one I haven't heard too much about being in actual use but I see a lot of ads. Anyone have any experiance how they do business with their integrators?

By the way, thanks everyone so far for your comments.